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Strategies for Managing Weeds in a Wheat, Red Clover, Vegetable Crop Rotation Transitioning to Organic Production

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Strategies for Managing Weeds in a Wheat, Red Clover, Vegetable Crop Rotation Transitioning to Organic Production STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WEEDS IN A WHEAT, RED CLOVER, VEGETABLE CROP ROTATION TRANSITIONING TO ORGANIC PRODUCTION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Karen Janila Amisi, B.Sc. Horticulture M.S. Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences ***** The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Douglas Doohan, advisor Approved by: Dr. Matthew Kleinhenz Dr. Sally Miller _______________________________ Dr. Emmy Regnier Advisor Horticulture and Crop Science Graduate Program Copyright by Karen Janila Amisi 2005 ABSTRACT Weed management is one of the biggest challenges faced by organic farmers. We investigated the use of two weed control strategies, critical period (CP) of competition and no seed threshold (NST), and the effect of soil amendments for farmers transitioning from conventional to organic production. Field experiments were conducted at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, OH. In 2001, a 4-year rotation of wheat, clover, cabbage, and processing tomato was established in soil previously in a conventional corn/soybean/forage agronomic rotation. The experimental design was a split plot in a randomized complete block with 4 replications. Main plots were soil amendments (none, raw dairy manure, composted dairy manure). Amendments were applied in spring at the rate equivalent of 101 kg N/ha and incorporated prior to planting. Subplots were weed control strategies; NST, where seedling weeds were removed weekly for the whole season and no weeds permitted to mature seeds in the field, and CP, where plots were kept weed-free for the first 5 weeks of crop growth. Evaluations included emerged weed communities both in the field and seedbank. Time taken to hand-weed was documented and labor cost of using CP and NST weed management strategies calculated. Yield of tomato and cabbage were recorded. The NST reduced redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and commom lambsquarters ii (Chenopodium album L.) by 30 - 62% and 22 - 60% respectively in the rotational crops. This was corroborated by weed seed data from soil samples taken in the spring following use of CP and NST strategies the previous year. Some significant effects (P ≤ 0.05) were noted among the soil amendment on density of redroot pigweed and common lambsquarters, though no clear trends were observed. Achieving the NST required 33 to 92 % more labor than did the CP. However, the cost of labor required for the NST was not greater than weed control costs typically experienced by organic farmers. In a greenhouse experiment, growth and seed production of redroot pigweed was reduced in field soil amended with livestock manure. Growth and seed production of the weed was greater in soils amended with compost. Rates of manure and compost were equivalent to 2x and 3x those applied to tomato and cabbage in the field experiments. iii Dedicated to Sango, Tumaini, and Rehema for your patience and understanding. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr Doug Doohan for his guidance, support encouragement, and patience throughout my studies. I also thank members of my Student Advisory Committee, Drs M. Kleinhenz, S. Miller and E. Regnier for their help, advice, and use of laboratory facilities to undertake my research work. I especially want to thank Dr. Annette Wszelaki, for the role she played in organizing the field operations. She was very involved in the field work, provision of data and research information, and was always an encouragement. Thanks also to Bert Bishop for his help in statistical analysis. I am grateful to the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science for providing funds that enabled me to complete my studies. This research was supported in part by funding obtained through the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS) program of United States department of Agriculture, for which I am very thankful. I thank the Weed Science laboratory members, Drs John Cardina, Joel Felix, and Lynn Sosnoskie, Cathy Herms, and Tim Koch, for their advice and help in undertaking various stages of my research work. Each one of them has been a great inspiration. I am deeply grateful to all the people who helped with various stages of the research work in the field, greenhouse or laboratory. I especially thank Paul McMillen, v Bob Napier, Sonia Walker, Noah Myers, Josh Reinford, Lee Duncan, Kim Hershberger and Greg Brenneman for all their hard work. I thank all my friends for their prayers, support and encouragement throughout my studies. I especially thank Mike and Mary Senger, Mary Misner, and Linda Kline. I am very grateful to Barb Kerns, for being ‘mom’ and ‘grandma’ to my family. Thank you for your love and generosity. I will always have a special place for you in my heart. My deepest gratitude goes to my husband, Sango, son Tumaini, and daughter Rehema for their immense support. I also thank my family in Kenya for constantly keeping in touch. Finally I thank God for giving me good health and strength throughout my studies. With Him nothing is impossible. vi VITA July, 25, 1967..................................Born, Nairobi, Kenya. September, 1990 .............................Diploma in Horticulture, Egerton University, Kenya. November, 1995 .............................B. Sc. Horticulture, Egerton University, Kenya. May, 2000.......................................M.S. Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL. August, 1998 – May, 2000 .............Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL. September, 2000 – Dec, 2004.........Graduate Research Associate, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. PUBLICATIONS Amisi, K. J.2000. Alternative Weed Management Systems for Pumpkins. Thesis. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Amisi, K. J., D. J. Doohan, M. D. Kleinhenz, and S. Miller. 2003. Effect of Critical Period (CP) and No Seed Threshold (NST) weed management strategies in a transitional vegetable organic system. NCWSS Abstr. 58:163. [CD-ROM Computer File]. North Central Weed Sci. Soc. Champaign, IL. Amisi, K. J., D. J. Doohan, M. D. Kleinhenz, S. Miller. 2004. No Seed Threshold and Critical Period weed management in a transitional organic vegetable system. WSSA Abstracts 44:201 FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Horticulture and Crop Science. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract............................................................................................................................ ii Dedication........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................v Vita ................................................................................................................................ vii List of tables .....................................................................................................................x List of figures.................................................................................................................xvi Chapter 1...........................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................1 Organic vegetable production.........................................................................2 Crop rotation...................................................................................................4 Soil fertility management ...............................................................................5 Weed management in organic vegetable production......................................7 List of References.........................................................................................13 Chapter 2.........................................................................................................................19 Weed management strategies for transition to organic: the critical period of competition and the no-seed threshold..........................................19 Abstract.........................................................................................................19 Introduction...................................................................................................21 Materials and Methods .................................................................................27 Results and Discussion .................................................................................34 Conclusion ....................................................................................................41 List of References.........................................................................................58 Chapter 3.........................................................................................................................63 Economics of no-seed-threshold weed management and soil amendments in organic tomato and cabbage................................................63 Abstract.........................................................................................................63 Introduction...................................................................................................64
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